Americas News
Bunker Spill Hits Brazil
Nine Brazilian beaches have been hit by a marine fuel spill that occurred late Friday at a refuelling pier at the Terminal Amirante Barroso run by a subsidiary of Brazilian oil company Petroleo Brasileiro (Petrobrás), Dow Jones Newswires reports.
Petrobrás' logistics unit, Transpetro, had not released information about the cause of the incident or the amount of fuel spilled.
Eduardo Hipolito do Rego, environment secretary for Sao Sebastiao state, where the spill occurred, said that Transpetro was "very unprepared" to respond to the spill and that environmentally sensitive areas were contaminated.
"There is still oil along the coast, covering rocks, vegetation and mangrove swamps," he said
"We're going to demand that Transpetro clean up these areas, too."
Transpetro said a response was "activated immediately" and that about 300 people and 37 ships took part in the clean-up.
Petrobrás also reported three spills in early 2012, including one that leaked an estimated 160 barrels off the coast of São Paulo state, according to Brazilian newspaper The Rio Times.
